Author: Jamal Collier

I grew up in the Chicago suburb of Bolingbrook and decided to study journalism at the University of Illinois. I've been covering the Illini football team for two years (yeah, the whole Beckman era) and this is my first following the men's basketball team. I am a huge baseball nerd who is always looking for a good read. Follow me on Twitter @JamalCollier.

Freshman point guard Jaylon Tate tested out his injured ankle during Illinois’ 64-54 victory over Indiana on Thursday before the pain became overbearing and he could not continue.

After participating fully in warmups prior to the game, Tate logged just one minute before he had to be taken out of the game. He had been hindered in practice all week. He said after the game that while his ankle was doing better it was still not 100 percent.

Tate did not play in the past two games after injuring the ankle against Michigan State on March 1. He was averaging 13.2 minutes per game and was used to give point guard Tracy Abrams a rest. Without Tate, Abrams played 37 minutes against Indiana in the opening game of the Big Ten tournament, although part of the reason was Abrams was also having one of his best games of the season.

Rayvonte Rice has been used as the primary backup point guard.

Tate plans to keep the same process in preparation for tomorrow’s game against Michigan. He will stretch and test the ankle through warm-ups.

“I’m just doing to keep doing treatments,” he said. “Keep getting better and it’s the coaches decision on what I do tomorrow.”

Egwu continues stellar defense

Nnanna Egwu said it did not bother him that he was left off the all-defensive Big Ten team. Illini coach John Groce said it shocked him.

If anyone who did not vote for Egwu watched him on Thursday, they may want to reevaluate their decision.

Egwu dominated the paint against Indiana, altering their shots at the rim constantly, blocking five while forcing the Hoosiers into long-range jump shots from just inside the arc.

“As a team we did a great job of not allowing those guys — because we protected the basket and kind of kept it out of the paint,” he said.

Coming into the game Egwu was the Big Ten’s No.2 shot blocker at 2.1 per game and the anchor of an Illini defense that had limited opponents to just 62.8 points per game on the year (second in the conference).

The Illini have allowed 65 points or less in all but one of their wins this season. And they rank 16th in the nation in defensive efficiency (93.8).

“I kind of take pride that I was a part this year of one of the best defensive teams in the country,” Egwu said. “And knowing that it kind of gave me motivation to keep helping that team become one of the best defensive teams in the country.”

Groce has taken just about any opportunity this season to rave about Egwu defensively saying “he covers up a multitude of sins.”

“I think he’s one of the elite defenders in our league,” Groce said. “He’s one of the best defensive players I’ve ever coached.”

Groce catches up with Pacers forward West

Briefly before the start of Thursday’s game Illini coach John Groce got to catch up with one of his former players, now Indiana Pacers forward David West.

Groce was an assistant at Xavier when West played there.

“Dave’s the best,” Groce said. “He was great to coach. Guys like Dave are a big reason why I got the opportunity at illinois.”

The Illini have prided themselves on their defense lately and it’s been a major key in their recent resurgence much like Pacers, who play their home games at Banker’s Life Fieldhouse, take pride in their tenuous defense.

“I’ve enjoyed watching Dave, I enjoy watching the Pacers play defense,” Groce said. “If our defense is anything like theirs we’re going to be in good shape.”

Freshman guard Kendrick Nunn was named Big Ten freshman of the week this morning after his impressive performance against Minnesota this past Wednesday.

Nunn led all scorers with 19 points, tying a career high, and connected on five 3-point field goals to help Illinois pull off the upset in Minneapolis 62-49.

Surprisingly this is the first time ever an Illini has won the honor, although the award was introduced during the 2010-11 season so it is relatively new.

Nunn has improved tremendously since the start of the season and has earned his way into the starting lineup almost certainly for the remainder of the year. At the beginning of the year he was played the least of Illinois’ five freshmen due to some mistakes on defense, which is unforgivable to head coach John Groce, and coasting by just on athletic ability alone. He has developed into one of the team’s better perimeter defenders and has had a chance to showcase his explosive scoring ability.

Nunn gives Illini fans a glimpse into the future as this nightmare season draws to a close. He has flourished since being inserted into the starting lineup two weeks ago against Penn State, averaging 13.0 points per game. Those five three-pointers are the most for an Illini player this season and he scored 10 of the Illini’s last 14 points during an eight-minute stretch against Minnesota.

The victory was only the Illini’s second in their last 12 games. Nunn has scored his career high 19 points in both wins.

Illinois basketball is in the middle of a six-game losing streak, without a likely end in sight. No Illini team has lost seven consecutive games in a season in 15 years, and up next on the schedule is back-to-back games with Iowa and Wisconsin. Both of those games are at State Farm Center, but the Illini can not seem to put together the complete game that would be necessary to upset one of these teams.

I’m wondering which losing streak was more painful for fans — Illini football or basketball?

Illini football infamously lost 20 consecutive conference games during the span of two years before finally beating lowly Purdue this year. That streak is long and embarrassing, however, few people ever had any real expectations for that team.

Illini basketball is what everyone was hoping would provide an alternative to football and a fast start elevated expectations. So it makes this recent skid feel every bit as crushing.

One of the things I’d like to do on this blog too is share some links to things involving the Illini that people should check out in case they missed them:

Former-Illini Eddie Johnson will be honored at halftime of Saturday’s game against Michigan State for the 35th anniversary of his game-winning shot against the No. 1 Spartans at Assembly Hall in 1979. I had never seen the actual video of the shot until earlier today (I was not even close to being born) so if you still have not for some reason here’s a link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bj2JodI8a1M

Illinois head coach John Groce revealed Monday that guard Rayvonte Rice has been battling a sore hip that clearly limited him during the Illini’s 49-43 defeat at the hands of lowly Northwestern on Sunday.

Rice was not able to finish around the basket as forcefully as he usually does, shooting 2 of 11 from the field for a season-low eight points. He was averaging 18.8 points per game before Sunday, leading the Illini and the Big Ten, but did not score his first basket until 8:39 left in the second half. This was the first time this season he failed to score at least 12 points.

“I’ll know how bad it is [later Monday], but Ray’s a pretty tough kid,” Groce said.

Without Rice shouldering the scoring load, the Illini offense looked, well as Groce said “inept.”

They shot 28.1 percent from the field, scored just 15 points in the first half and missed their first 12 three-point attempts.

At first glance of the final score, those who did not watch the game may have wondered why Illinois and Northwestern never played the second half, but no the offenses were just that bad. This was the Wildcats first conference victory of the year, and they had not necessarily been close in the other games.

The Illini have struggled to score at times this season with Rice in the game, so if he has to miss any time or is hindered to the extent he was Sunday it will be tough for the Illini to replace him. He creates offense not only for himself, but by driving to the basket, defenses collapse on him to open up offensive rebound opportunities and open three-pointers.

This loss assures when the AP Top 25 poll comes out later today, the Illini are certain to be absent from it. They also suffered a 95-70 loss to Wisconsin on Wednesday.

The question remains how damaging will the loss to the Wildcats be to the Illini’s NCAA tournament resume.